Welcome to the Braves Farm Report, where we will take a look at the Braves farm system and look at trends and players that seem interesting, and give first hand accounts of what we’re seeing down on the farm.
This week is a “special edition” as I spent the weekend taking a look at the Danville Braves. Look out later this week for the OFR mid-season Top 30 prospect update. The next farm report should go back to the typical Sunday release.
Eyes On The Danville Braves
The week I and my wonderful and indulgent family took the 5 hour drive into the lush mountains of Eastern Tennessee to check out the Danville Braves on their western swing, seeing them play the Greeneville Reds on July 5 and the Elizabethton Twins on July 7 with a rain-out in between.
The bulk of the team is comprised of 2018 draft picks, mixed in with some young organizational veterans from prior drafts or international free agency. I was a week late to see 2nd-round pick outfielder Greyson Jenista, but did manage to see right-hander Matt Rowland, shortstop AJ Graffanino, third baseman CJ Alexander, and outfielders Andrew Moritz and Justin Dean.
July 5 @Greeneville: Braves 8, Reds 4
The Braves took on Reds’ 18-year-old 2nd-round pick Lyon Richardson in this tilt and countering with right-hander Dilmer Mejia.
Mejia has been in the organization since 2013 when he signed as a 16-year-old and has been a fringe prospect ever since. Honesty compels me to say that I haven’t thought too highly of him; his fastball is pretty ordinary and his breaking pitches are less than ordinary. His best pitch may be his change-up, and he mixes speeds and locates better than most in the Appalachian League. This is more than enough to take care of most hitters at this level and he got through 7 pretty easy shut-out innings, striking out 5 and only allowing 6 baserunners.
Mejia made good use of the defense behind him, especially shortstop AJ Graffanino. Graffanino demonstrates good range and instincts and excellent quick hands. He also has a strong arm, which on at least one occasion was too much for first baseman Brett Langhorne to handle on a ball that Graffanino had to backhand and quickly turn and fire to first. I’m not sure Langhorne ever really saw it well and it got behind him for an error on Graffanino.
Centerfielder Andrew Mortiz was the other stand-out defender of the game, on one occasion ranging deep to the 400-foot sign in straight-away center for an over-the-shoulder catch. Former Oregon catcher Ray Soderman was behind the plate and demonstrated solid catch-and-throw skills.
Offensively, the Braves pounded out 13 hits, all but one singles. Graffanino tallied 4 of the hits and showed bat speed and pitch recognition and above average speed on the bases. His swing is leveled and geared to line drives and he’s unlikely to develop significant power. The same can also be said for Moritz and second baseman Greg Cullen, who singled and came around to score a “little league home run” when the Reds right fielder made a complete hash of fielding the ball.
Cullen at the minimum looks like he could possibly develop solid doubles power if he worked at elevating the ball, but the reigning NCAA batting champion may resist that kind of adjustment.
July 7 @Elizabethton: Twins 6, Braves 5 (10 innings)
The rainout prevented me from seeing planned starter Jose Montilla, but allowed me and the family to see Ant-Man & The Wasp a few days before I was expecting to (fun and light, a good antidote to the heavy Avengers: Infinity War from earlier this summer).
Instead I got a look at big right-hander Matt Rowland, a 2016 11th-round draft pick out of Pope High School in Marietta. Rowland’s pro debut was delayed until this season due to a string of injuries that included a UCL replacement. Rowland was not sharp in this outing and he seemed to be working almost exclusively on fastball command. Rowland looked to be operating the low-to-mid 90s, and that command was not much in evidence as the Twins hitters were consistently able to barrel the ball. Rowland was lifted in the third after 62 pitches, matching his season high. On his last pitch he unveiled his curveball, and turned Twins shortstop Ricky De La Torre into a pretzel to end on a flourish. Left-hander Tanner Allison got the final out of the third to escape damage.
Of the relievers, the most interesting were 2018 draftees Brooks Wilson and Ryan Shetter, who was making his pro debut. Wilson pitched one inning, giving up a solo home run Twins clean-up hitter Chris Williams, but showed good arm action and a fastball with decent movement. Shetter had a clean inning, and looked loose and easy with nothing but fastballs; one was hit deep to right field enough to push outfielder Justin Smith to the wall, but otherwise he looked to be locating well.
Danville outhit Elizabethton 16-to-11, this time with 14 of the 16 hits being singles. One of two extra base hits was a double by centerfielder Justin Dean, who seems built well and has strength in his swing despite standing at only 5′-8″. Dean played centerfield in this one instead of Moritz, who moved over to left. Of the two, I would gauge Moritz as the better fielder overall, but Dean with the stronger arm.
CJ Alexander had three hits in the game, and there’s definite reason for the early buzz on his bat. He shows a good eye at the plate and the ability to go to every field. He’s listed at 6′-5″ and 215 pounds, but looks more like 200 pounds or so, definitely room for filling out and adding power.
Life on the Farm
DSL: The Braves went 0-6 on the week, extending an 11-game losing streak. The good news in the middle of this is the play of 19-year-old right-hander Jose Olague, who threw in two starts and pitched a total of 10 shut-out innings, only allowing 7 hits, no walks, and striking out 5. On the offensive side, 17-year-old shortstop Carlos Paraguate has pushed back a slow start to his first pro season and hit .368/.435/.421 for the week and has a six game hitting streak going, and has also hit in 9 of his last 12 games.
GCL: The Orlando Kids went 3-2 this week, including an 8-0 shutout of the Pirates on July 2. One of the pitchers in that game was right-hander Alex Camacho, the 37th-round pick in the 2018 draft. Camacho pitched in two games, going 4 innings without allowing a run and striking out 7.
On the offensive side, infielder Michael Mateja took out being demoted from Danville on GCL pitching, going 3-for-7 with a double and three walks. The team also got a lift from a rehabbing Austin Riley, who went 3-for-8 with a double and a home run.
DANVILLE: Danville went 4-2 this week, with pitching leading the way. In addition to Dilmer Mejia’s 7-inning performance detailed above, Danville got a strong starting effort from 2017 14th-rounder Keith Weisenberg whoe went 6 innings and allowing a run while striking out 4 in a winning effort against Greeneville that lead him to a subsequent promotion to Rome.
The only home run hit by Danville this week was by outfielder Henry Quintero, his first of his career. Quintero left the game on Thursday, but the injury does not appear to be serious. Third baseman CJ Alexander and outfielder Andrew Moritz kept up their good work, each hitting over .400 for the week, Alexander now having at least one hit in 13 of his 14 professional games played to date. Corner infielder Brendan Venter went 3-for-10 with a double before getting his own promotion to Rome.
ROME: Rome continued their lackluster post-break play, going 2-4 on the week with a Saturday rainout. The offense that had been so explosive for most of June has been misfiring of late, with the likes of Drew Waters, Jean Carlos Encarnacion, and Drew Lugbauer enduring slumps. This has muted the effect of catcher William Contreras going through the hottest phase of his season, and he went .471/.500/.882 last week, going deep twice. Shortstop Riley Delgado has been remarkably consistent this season and this week was no exception as he hit .364/.462/.500 with a home run of his own. Outfielder Greyson Jenista took to his first week of A-ball well, hitting .316/.381/.526 since his promotion from Danville.
On the pitching side, right-hander and 2017 3rd-round draft pick Freddy Tarnok finally moved from the bullpen, where he had been outstanding all season, into the rotation. The results of his first two starts of the season weren’t particularly pretty however, he allowed 11 hits and 8 earned runs over 5.2 innings. Righty Jasseel De La Cruz continued his slump as well, allowing 8 runs in 3.1 innings. Fortunately Huascar Ynoa continued his good recent work, pitching 6 strong innings and righty Odalvi Javier righted his ship after a few bad starts.
The Rome bullpen has been mostly spectacular all season, but they outdid themselves last week. In 22.1 innings pitched, the bullpen did not allow a single earned run while striking out 21 batters. Closer Brandon White‘s 3 scoreless innings pitched this week against Kannapolis last Monday ended his Rome career with a flourish as he was promoted to advanced-A Florida at the end of the week.
FLORIDA: The week started out rough for the Fire Frogs as they were swept in a double-header last Sunday, but they then reeled off four wins in a row and finished with a 6-3 record. Left-hander Tucker Davidson had a solid start against Daytona to start the week, then pitched an outstanding 7 shutout innings Friday night for his best outing of the season to date. 2016 1st-rounders Ian Anderson and Joey Wentz each pitched to their pedigree as well this week, combining for 11.2 shut-out innings on one start apiece. In the bullpen, right-hander Troy Bacon pitched his 7th consecutive outing without allowing an earned run while lefty Jon Kennedy pitched 4 clutch scoreless innings in the second half of a suspended game on Thursday to secure a win.
At the plate, catcher Brett Cumberland flipped the calendar on a disappointing June by hitting .316/.480/.579 on the week with a homer and two doubles. Outfielder Cristian Pache also shrugged off an injury and trade rumors to go 6-for-15 with a homer and 3 doubles. That gives Pache 6 homers on the season after going 750 minor league plate appearances with a home run prior to this season. Utilityman Kurt Hoekstra had a week to remember, hitting .391/.462/.478 this week while playing first, third, left field, and even getting into a game as a pitcher, throwing a scoreless inning. Hoekstra was a star two-way player for Grand Rapids Christian Academy and also pitched in 7 games for Western Michigan in his three years with the school.
MISSISSIPPI: The M-Braves went 4-3 on the week as their starting rotation was shuffled after the promotion of Touki Toussaint to Gwinnett and the return of Ricardo Sanchez off the disabled list. Sanchez pitched 5 scoreless innings in his first AA start since April 15. Right-hander Bryse Wilson has had a rocky transition to AA since his promotion from Florida in May, but he broke off his best start since then last Tuesday, throwing 7 innings of shut-out ball while striking out 9. Righty Kyle Wright had two solid outings, each going 6 innings and allowing 5 earned runs total while striking out 12. Left-hander Bruce Zimmermann had his second quality start since his promotion to AA, allowing one run in 6 innings and securing a win.
Outfielder Tyler Neslony was largely a non-factor in May and June, but he had a good week to start July, hitting .385/.529/.538. Shortstop Luis Marte also keeps swinging a hot bat, hitting .333/.375/.467. On the flipside, after three strong offensive weeks that got his season average over the Mendoza line, Alex Jackson has gone cold again, hitting .125/.125/.125 on the week.
GWINNETT: The big news for Gwinnett this week was the promotion of right-hander Touki Toussaint and he didn’t disappoint, going six innings while allowing only one run and pitching Gwinnett to a win over Norfolk on Thursday. Unfortunately that was only one of two wins for Gwinnett on the week. Right-hander Lucas Sims pitched one of the best starts of his professional career Wednesday against an excellent Durham Bulls offense, going 7 innings, only allowing 2 hits, no walks, and striking out 11. Unfortunately, the anemic Stripers offense could only muster four hits and one run as the bullpen let the game get away. Righty Wes Parsons also had a strong start, pitching 7 scoreless innings, but lefty Kolby Allard could only pitch into the 6th inning in both of his starts this week, surrendering 7 earned runs over the two outings. Since his hot start to the season, Allard has pitched to a 4.14 ERA since June 1 and is giving up a .279/.335/.416 batting line against in that time.
At the plate, shortstop Tyler Smith continued his hot spell, going .357/.400/.429 on the week, joining outfielder Xavier Avery and third baseman Rio Ruiz as Stripers with OPS over .800 on the week. Ruiz is riding a 12-game hitting streak through Saturday, going .404/.436/.577 during that time with 2 home runs.
POSITION PLAYER of the WEEK:
PITCHER of the WEEK:
Transaction Round-Up
7/1/2018: 3B CJ Alexander promoted to Danville from the GCL Braves
7/2/2018: IF Michael Mateja assigned to the GCL Braves from Danville
The organization essentially swaps out third basemen. Alexander was clearly too advanced offensively to stay in the GCL while Mateja was struggling at the plate with Danville.
7/2/2018: RHP Ty Harpenau placed on Danville Suspended List
Harpeanu just signed his pro contract. It’s possible this was arranged with the Braves to allow him to take care of personal business before reporting for assignment.
7/2/2018: OF Greyson Jenista promoted to Rome from Danville
The Braves wasted no time getting their top position player draft pick up to their championship-caliber minor league team.
7/2/2018: OF Isranel Wilson promoted to Florida from Rome
Wilson was one of the best offensive players in the Braves minors in June after a slow start.
7/2/2018: OF Justin Smith assigned to Danville from Rome
7/2/2018: OF Shean Michel asssigned to Rome from Florida
Smith started strong upon his promotion to Rome in May when Drew Waters was briefly on the disabled list, but his production has gone down with his playing time. Smith is likely to get more playing time in Danville, where there is now a Jenista-sized hole in the line-up. Michel had been playing well in a reserve roll for Florida, but Rome is probably a more appropriate assignment.
7/2/2018: C Lucas Herbert placed on the 7-day DL (Florida)
7/2/2018: C Alan Crowley promoted to Florida from Rome
No word on what’s ailing Herbert. Crowley comes off the Rome DL to back-fill.
7/3/2018: OF Michael Reed optioned to Gwinnett
Reed was only on the Atlanta roster for a day. Reed had a clause in his minor league contract that the Braves either had to add him to the 40-man roster by July 1 or Reed could elect to become a free agent.
7/4/2018: RHP Touki Toussaint promoted from Mississippi to Gwinnett
A well-deserved promotion for Toussaint, who has put together his most consistent-quality minor league season to date. The promotion now could put him in line for some major league action by the end of the season.
7/4/2018: LHP Ricardo Sanchez activated from 7-day DL (Mississippi)
Sanchez takes Toussaint’s spot in the Mississippi rotation after 2 starts and 11.2 innings on rehab assignment with Danville. Sanchez needs a strong second half to rebuild prospect luster. This is the fourth consecutive season where Sanchez has missed significant time with injury.
7/4/2018: LHP Miguel Jerez promoted to Florida from the GCL Braves
7/6/2018: LHP Miguel Jerez transferred to the GCL Braves from Florida
The Braves had to reach deep down in the organization to find a fill-in starter for the Fire Frogs, but is shows the Braves thoughts about this intriguing lefty. Jerez’s start did not go well, as would likely be expected, but Jerez is a player to keep track of.
7/4/2018: IF Alejandro Salazar promoted to Mississippi from Florida
It has been an interesting season for Salazar, the staring shortstop for Rome in 2016 and Florida and 2017. The organization has moved Salazar all over the infield, with most of his time in Florida split between second and third base. He had earlier been called up to Gwinnett to fill in for an emergency roster situation, but this seems like it could be a more permanent move.
7/6/2018: 1B/3B Brendan Venter promoted to Rome from Danville
7/6/2018: 1B Austin Bush released from Rome
Being named the OFR Position Player of the Week in last week’s Farm Report wasn’t enough to save Austin Bush as he was caught in the roster crunch after the Braves signed a slew of college players. In this case, the Braves want to see what former Auburn Tiger Brenden Venter can do against higher-level competition.
7/6/2018: Signed draft pick RHP Victor Vodnik (14th-round)
In an amazing turnaround from the typical Braves draft, Vodnik’s signing just before the cut-off kept this draft from being the first ever where the Braves failed to secure the services of any prep amateur player. Vodnik is an intriguing talent with a live arm but is extremely raw.
7/7/2018: Signed Frankelvin Vidal, Luis Vargas, Alexander Then, Osiris Sierra, Jordano Perez, Cesari Moreno, Francisco Floyd, Jose Dilone, Jorge Bautista, and Carlos Paiva as international amateur free agents.
After the initial rush of high-priced international free agents on July 2 and 3, the Braves came in a scooped up 10 players. Due to being in the penalty for going over their allotted pool in 2016, the Braves were not able to offer a signing bonus of over $300,000. Six of these players are currently 16 years old, so the won’t be making their pro debuts until next season.
7/7/2018: RHP Keith Weisenberg promoted to Rome from Danville
7/7/2018: RHP Brandon White promoted to Florida from Rome
White gets a much-deserved promotion to Florida, and Weisenberg can start or relieve for Rome.
Victor Vodnik of Rialto HS is officially a @Braves. Congrats to scout @k2braves on the signing. pic.twitter.com/jwEGLyhlJ3
— Les Lukach (@LesLukach) July 6, 2018
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